The fewer calories you consume, the healthier you are and the longer you will live.

Yes, it is true. The fewer calories you consume, the healthier you are and the longer you will live. Calorie Reduction (CR) is the most strategic approach to health and longevity there is. I feel vibrant, twenty years younger, my mind is crystal clear and I sleep a full eight hours every night.

Observe the “Blue Zones” (Sardinia, Italy, Okinawa, Japan, Loma Linda, California, Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica, Ikaria, Greece), these people thrive into their 90’s and 100’s… They all have one strong attribute – they do not consume a lot of food. Yes, of course, they walk a lot, passionate about their work, they have a strong family bond, they participate in community activities, they grow their own food and don’t watch CNN or have Donald Trump as their president… They eat mostly vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, seeds, and nuts.

In the five “Blue Zones” the people live longer than anywhere else in the world… All of these people who live in their 90’s and 100’s eat mostly a vegan diet of beans, grains, seeds, nuts, fruits, and vegetables… They do not over-exercise, they walk and do their own chores, they are passionate about something whether it is painting, writing or playing an instrument, they have faith whether it is of God, mankind or the sun, they have something to look forward to every day, they surround themselves with family and friends and they don’t worry about stuff.. They don’t have smartphones or are they on Facebook for hours at a time and they certainly do not watch cable television… They are plugged into life…

I have been on a CR lifestyle diet for a year. I have cut all my portions by two thirds. I have noticed that I am not hungry, my stomach seems to have shrunk, I only consume food when I am really hungry and I eat very slowly and chew my food longer than normal. I choose my foods strategically. I only eat highly nutritional food, fresh locally grown and has a lot of fiber and tons of nutrients.

This morning, for example, I had one large Stokes purple sweet potato and two cups of chickpea miso with lemon. For lunch, I will have half of butternut squash. For dinner, I always eat before 4:00, I will have a half cup of lentils mixed with quinoa, amaranth, and millet… In between meals I drink a lot of gunpowder tea, Kukicha tea and a blend of herbal tea I make with dry, wild or organic Red Clover blossoms; dry, wild or organic, dry sifted Alfalfa, Stinging Nettle leaf; dry wild or organic Yarrow flowers. Tea has no calories, tons of antioxidants and vitamins and is very filling…

Now, if I find myself nervously hungry, I eat raw carrots, celery, radishes, cauliflower, and an apple… These foods are not only extremely healthy, but they are also loaded with fiber, nutrients, and antioxidants. These are called guiltless foods.

Socially, I do not have a problem. Everyone knows that I am vegan and do not like to be fussed over. When I go to dinner with people I am famous for ordering a plate of parsley or raw spinach with lemon. I never drink alcohol, probably the worst thing you can bombard your liver with… I also never use oils. Oils are pure fat and highly processed. Fat is important as oil, but consume oil in the most natural state. Eat olives, nuts, avocados, chia and hemp seeds and make sure to put flaxseeds on all of your food – loaded with Omega-rich nutrients.

It is important to eat your largest meal in the morning followed later in the afternoon by a smaller meal… Eat nothing after 4:00 p.m. The American diet is three humungous meals loaded with fat, sugar, dairy4, and meat. The largest meal consumed by Americans is late at night. Most people literally pass out after eating a huge meal of meat and potatoes drenched in butter and cream along with beer and wine. You can imagine what that does to your heart and liver. It is no surprise that Americans develop more heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity than all the rest of the industrial modern countries combined…

80% of all Americans adults and 1/3rd of all American children are clinically obese. Obesity is the number one link to all major human diseases and early death. Go to the supermarkets and just observe the foods people loaded the carts with – boxes of sugary cereals, cans of processed soups and boxes of frozen pizzas and dinners. The government should give tax breaks to those people that eat a clean plant-based diet and tax people heavily for eating processed foods, meat, and dairy. Why should people like you and me be burdened with high healthcare for people that do not take care of themselves?

There are other factors to the longevity equation. Exercise is vital. But do not knock yourself out or think of exercise as a chore. Incorporate moving your body with activities you love to do like cycling, walking, yoga, basketball, gardening, and tennis. Mediation is a powerful tool to increase mental awareness, reduce stress, encourage a healthy body, slows aging and benefit cardiovascular and immune health… You don’t have to be a Hindu Guru to mediate. I meditate when I walk, take a sauna, lay in my bed and focus on the night and the morning. I also paint and find myself engrossed in my art.

Another extremely important part of the equation of longevity is to surround yourself with happiness and peace. Sever relationships that drag you down no matter who the people are. Find a job that you are excited about and look forward to engaging in. Rid your home of clutter, keep your home simple and live a minimalist lifestyle. I have a very good friend that is Hindu and Jitendra only has three pairs of pants, three shirts and one pair of shoes. I asked him why he doesn’t have more clothes? He told me that he only wears one pair of pants and a shirt and one pair of shoes at a time… That made so much sense to me. I immediately reduced the closets of clothes that I had, many still had their price tags and many I haven’t worn for years. I also got rid of a lot of furniture, everything in the garage and the cupboards in my kitchen that I never use.

Severing relationships, giving away a lot of my possessions, reducing my wardrobe and the furniture in my home was the most powerful emotional revelation I ever experienced. Reducing my diet to a bare minimum amount of food allows me to focus on my passions in life rather than to be the gatekeeper of too many clothes, furniture, and stuff.

I attest to never feeling tired, always having tons of energy, my mind has more clarity than any time in my life, I feel younger, happier and freer than at any time in my life. I also spend as little as $20 a week on food. I am not all the way there yet, trust me.

A while ago I met a man with just a backpack, nothing else. he traveled around the world and stayed at youth hostels… After I got to know him, I found out that he was quite wealthy. I asked him about all his homes, cars and lifestyle. He told me that he felt like a prisoner, all of those material things were like a weight around his neck. He told me that he gave away all the money to charity. He didn’t want to burden his kids with the same strain and stress that inflicted him. He also wanted his children to experience the joy of success and achieving their own journey rather than his… He loved to be among the people and avoided 5-star hotels like the plague…

Pablo Picasso said, “I’d like to live as a poor man with lots of money.”

The best diet you can possibly eat is a poor man’s diet – You will live healthy for decades… This is my favorite meal – sweet potato, black beans, brown rice, and an avocado… No salt or oil or seasoning, just simply the healthiest most wonderful tasting combination of food on the planet… The cost is under $5

Life is a journey of sharing, experiencing and enjoying other people. Learning from people of different cultures is the most valuable opportunity we have in life. Life is a gift, just unwrap it carefully…

Thank you so much Doug for the Info …